Getting The Message?
by xChristabelx
Summary: Yuffie is throwing a party and Vincent is reluctant to come to it, so Cloud gets sent to persuade him. Not a Strifentine.


**Getting the message?**

„_You have one new message"_

The red light on Cloud's answerphone was blinking when he came home from work that night. Pressing the _play_ button on the device while passing it on his way to the kitchen Cloud listened to the message he had received while he was rummaging for a can of beer in his messily stocked fridge.

"_Hey, Cloud, it's Tifa. I just wanted to remind you that we're leaving for Wutai in two days time to visit Yuffie. The big party, remember? Anyway, we're all meeting at the bar and Cid is going to come collect us there. See you then, bye, Cloud." _

The answerphone gave a final beep and was silent thereafter. How could Tifa think that he could forget about that party, Cloud asked himself. Yuffie had been going on about it for nearly six months now and had randomly called all her friends multiple times during that period to remind them of the big event, the getting-back-together-party, as she called it.

Beer can in hand, Cloud flopped down on his worn comfortable couch and switched on the news channel on TV. He had barely finished off the last dregs of his drink and was beginning to plan what his options for dinner were when the phone rang shrilly, disturbing Clouds musings of pizza or burgers.

Sighing, Cloud got up from his slouching position and trudged to the phone.

"Hello?" he asked, holding the receiver to his ear.

"Hi, Cloud. It's Yuffie." Came the younger girl's voice from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Yuffie. So, still up for that big party?" Cloud asked. The answer was what he had expected, Yuffie telling him about all the great preparations and how much fun it was going to be with much excitement.

"But Cloud," she said, "that's exactly why I'm calling you, the party that is, or not the party but… oh, anyway. You know Vincent has a phone now?"

Cloud listened to Yuffie's rambling with a frown, trying to discern what the actual message was that she was trying to convey.

"Yeah, I know." Cloud replied to the girl's seemingly random question. "It's what we all wanted so that we can contact him."

"Yes, that's it." Yuffie confirmed loudly.

"And I did and I asked him if he'd come to the party and he said he didn't feel like it. I tried to persuade him, but he still didn't budge, so we hung up eventually. I called Vincent again a few days later with the same outcome and then again just yesterday. He still _doesn't feel like it_. Honestly, does he think all that sitting in his flat and brooding is doing him any good? And now he refuses to answer the phone all together." Yuffie huffed in annoyance over her introverted friend's behaviour.

"Anyway, Cloud, can you please drive by his place on your way out to the meeting and get him out of there?" the Wutaian's voice was nearing a whine now.

"I miss him like I miss all of you and I really want him there. Please Cloud?" pleaded Yuffie's now overly sweet voice.

Cloud sighed. "Ok, Yuffie. I'll go and see him… and yes, I'll get him to come."

"YAY!" Cloud could practically hear Yuffie bouncing on the spot. "I'll see you at the party then."

"Bye. See you there." Cloud said goodbye and hung up the phone. Sighing, he thought that he'd better leave a little early, because now he would have to take a detour to Kalm and it would surely take some time to get Vincent to come with him.

Cloud arrived at Vincent's flat in Kalm the next evening. He was hoping to be at the meeting point on time the next day, preferably together with Vincent.

Scanning the doorbell panel of the small run-down apartment block his friend was living in, Cloud noted that Vincent's name was missing.

"_Trust Vincent Valentine to keep his existence secret." _Cloud thought, shaking his head and pushing through the door that led inside the building.

Vincent's flat was on the third floor and Cloud climbed the stair case noting that it was nearly completely quiet in the building, making him wonder if most of the flats weren't actually uninhabited.

Eventually Cloud found Vincent's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no reply so Cloud knocked again. Again there came no sign of life from the other side of the door. Suddenly triggering on to the thought that Vincent was a very careful person and probably wouldn't open up just because someone came knocking on his door, Cloud decided to call out to him.

"Vincent, it's Cloud. Open up." That finally did the trick and Vincent appeared behind the opening door, clothed as always, but missing his red cloak.

Vincent stared at Cloud for a moment, unblinking. "Cloud… is something wrong?" he asked, leading Cloud into the apartment.

Vincent's flat consisted of only one larger room which contained the living area and a bed and a door led to a bathroom, another one gave way to a small kitchen. Cloud stood there, taking in his surroundings until Vincent's deep quite voice got his attention.

"What bring you here?" the gunman asked.

Cloud's eyes snapped back to look at his friend. "Oh, yeah, right. Yuffie called me last night." Cloud explained with a grin and watched in amusement as Vincent barely managed to suppress an aggravated groan.

"Oh, yes." Cloud chuckled. "She wants me to make sure that you come to the party."

"I don't feel like it." Vincent cut off anything else that the other man attempted to say.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "You never feel like being at a party, Vincent. But this is Yuffie's party and she wants you to be there and so do all of us. You are our friend, whether you want to accept it or not."

Vincent looked away for a moment. He hated it when his friends used the guilt-trip-method on him, although deep down he couldn't deny that Cloud's words touched his heart in a way that very few things could these days. And now that Cloud was giving him this pleading look with those big blue eyes of his and was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, Vincent couldn't possibly say no.

"Fine, you win." He sighed. "Let me just get some things.

Cloud mentally did a little victory-jig as he watched his friend pack a few belongings and soon they were ready to go. As he left the apartment with Vincent and waited for the gunman to lock the door, Cloud noticed that he had a message on his mobile phone. He pressed a few buttons and listened to it.

Turning to Vincent with a smirk, Cloud turned on the loudspeaker and replayed the message so that his friend could hear it.

"_Hey, Cloud, it's Cid. Guess you're on your way to the meeting by now. Tell the others I'll be a bit late. I couldn't get stuff here organised the way I wanted. And Spiky, make sure you get our resident vampire here as well."_


End file.
